Patients will soon benefit from a £200,000 investment in the minor injuries unit at Orsett Hospital.

Work has already started after Basildon and Thurrock general hospitals NHS trust handed over the money.

The cash will mean the unit will be moved into the main hospital building, placing it alongside the X-ray department and the blood testing service, making visits to the unit quicker and easier.

David Hooper, chairman of the trust, said: "Moving the unit is an important step towards the development of the future Orsett Hospital.

"One of the main criticism of the unit has always been that you had to move between one building and another for an X-ray. This solves the problem and will improve services all round."

Mr Hooper said the work, which should be completed in the spring, is just the first in a series of improvements to the hospital to be carried out over the next three years.

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